Network operators typically distribute and deliver services and content over their network, such as cable television services over a cable network. In some cases, services and content of entities other than the network operator are distributed over the network operator's network resulting in increased utilization of the network operator's access network. This type of service and content is referred to as Over-the-Top (OTT) because the OTT service typically rides on top of the network operator's service yet may not be otherwise affiliated with the network operator or the network operator's services. One example of an OTT service is Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) which refers to a service of providing video, audio and/or data content in the form of IP packets provided by a Service Provider over a closed network, such as a Data Over Cable (DOC) network. Thus, IPTV can be offered as an OTT service over an existing network of a network operator to customers connected to the network. In this manner, OTT provides the ability to offer linear broadcast television (TV) as a unicast IP service to subscribers both within and outside of a Service Provider's network. As used herein, the term “unicast” refers to a communication between a single sender and a single receiver over a network.
In addition, a service provider may create their own unicast based “adaptive or progressive” streaming service to distribute content to portable devices, such as tablets, computers, smart phones, and the like. Some of the subscribers to this particular service may be connected to another service provider's network while some subscribers may be connected to the service provider's access network. Thus, the service provider may distribute the same OTT services to portable devices within subscriber homes connected to the service provider's access network. In other words, OTT can be an adjunct service offering for subscribers on other service provider networks, and can also enhance the experience of on-network subscribers (e.g., by supporting their portable devices).
When additional OTT content is deployed on a network, such as a significant number of new High Definition (HD) services over an existing distribution network of a network operator, a result may be that the distribution network becomes capacity constrained due to bandwidth requirements needed to fulfill the OTT service. As an example, the QAM plant may be at or near capacity, and the IP distribution network may not be sized to carry all the HD services being planned, particularly, since the new OTT services require a unicast infrastructure. Further complicating the addition of OTT content is that it may be desired to deploy technology that can be leveraged to source these HD services to Set Top Boxes (STBs) or like Customer Premise Equipment (CPE) that have different IP capabilities (i.e., none to advanced) and to a variety of different mobile, PC, and tablet customer devices with varying IP capabilities (i.e., resolution, etc.) within the home or on wireless networks.
Simply by way of example, an existing IP video distribution network may not have sufficient capacity to deliver a desired 100 new HD services using a unicast OTT distribution method. For instance, assuming that the network's available capacity is uniformly distributed among all potential subscriber homes, there may be on average approximately 3.5 Mbps available for IPTV video services into each home. In this example, if 50% of the subscribers requested one of the new HD services (8 Mbps/service on average), the existing network would be oversubscribed.
The cost to add capacity to a distribution network is typically too exorbitant to consider as a solution to the above referenced problem. Accordingly, there exists a need for a method and apparatus that provide cost and bandwidth efficiencies to enable a capacity constrained network to effectively and efficiently promote the utilization of new content and services prepared for Over-the-Top (OTT) distribution to a population of subscribers, such as via legacy STBs or the like. Further, it may be desirable for such a method and apparatus to permit both next generation IPTV devices and legacy STBs to share a common video path infrastructure, even if the legacy network is capacity constrained.